Arizona vs UCLA 3/12/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The 13^th ranked UCLA Bruins & Arizona Wildcats will square off at T-Mobile Arena to take on the 2^nd ranked Arizona Wildcats this Saturday night in the Championship of the Pac-12 Tournament.

The 2-seed UCLA Bruins improved to 25-6 on the season after defeating the 3-seed USC Trojans, 69-59, last night. UCLA was outstanding on the defensive end against USC and was able to hold off the Trojans for the victory after taking a 61-52 lead with 4:30 left in regulation. UCLA shot 48.9% from the field & 50.0% from beyond the arc while holding USC to 39.6% shooting from the field & 38.9% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bruins was Jaime Jaquez Jr. who had 19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, & 1 steal.

Coming into their game against USC, UCLA was averaging 76.6 ppg on 45.0% shooting from the field. The Bruins was averaging 7.0 three-pointers per game on 35.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, UCLA has been led by Johnny Juzang (16.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.8 apg), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (13.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.1 spg), Julies Bernard (12.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.7 apg), & Tyger Campbell (11.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.1 spg).

Defensively, prior to their game vs. USC, UCLA was holding their opponents to an average of 64.4 ppg on 41.4% shooting from the field. The Bruins had a rebound margin of 4.5 and a turnover margin of 4.5.

The 1-seed Arizona Wildcats improved to 30-3 on the season after defeating the Colorado Buffaloes, 82-72, last night. Arizona was outstanding defensively down the stretch and was able to hold on for the victory after taking 69-62 lead with 7:27 left in regulation. Arizona shot 52.0% from the field & 40.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Colorado to shoot 38.7% from the field & 50.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Wildcats was Azuolas Tubelis who had a double-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, & 3 steals.

Coming into their game against Colorado, Arizona was averaging 84.7 ppg on 49.5% shooting from the field. The Wildcats were averaging 7.8 three-pointers per game on 35.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Arizona has been led by Bennedict Mathurin (17.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.0 spg), Azuolas Tubelis (14.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.0 spg), Christian Koloko (12.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.3 apg), & Kerr Kriisa (10.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.9 apg).

Defensively, prior to their game against Colorado, Arizona was allowing their opponents to an average of 67.1 ppg on 38.6% shooting from the field. The Wildcats had a rebound margin of 7.8 and a turnover margin of 0.1.

The Bruins are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall & 8-2 ATS in their last 10 neutral site games. The Wildcats are 15-35-1 ATS in their last 51 Saturday games & 3-9 ATS in their last 12 neutral site games.

UCLA and Arizona split their regular season series as the Bruins defeated the Wildcats by a 75-59 margin at home in late January while the Arizona defeated UCLA by a 76-66 margin at home in early February.

UCLA has been solid on both ends of the court this season as the Bruins come into this game ranked 48^th in scoring offense, 39^th in scoring defense, 74^th in defensive FG%, & 8^th in turnover margin. Arizona has been led by their offense which ranks 3^rd in scoring offense & 5^th in FG%, and despite ranking 117^th in scoring defense, the Wildcats come into this matchup ranked 9^th in scoring defense & 7^th in rebound margin. Arizona has been outstanding throughout the season, however, UCLA in my opinion, is the better overall team and as they have more experience playing in these type of moments, I’m taking the Bruins and the point. Good Luck!